Which of the nicer suburbs is most self-contained? (Houston, Briar: hair salon, daycare)

[texas7]

Originally Posted by tstone

Look on Clear Lake City Blvd between Hwy 3 and Space Center. You can get a few of those within walking or biking distance depending on where you situate yourself, but everything else will be by car.

I can take a 5 min walk to a nice (overpriced) Randalls, bank, hair cutter, eye doctor, Hunan restaraunt and Pizza Hut. I can bike in 5 minutes to a coffee shop, Subway, breakfast taco place and a couple other small restaraunts. If I feel adventurous I can bike 20 minutes to the library or 24 hr fitness but I personally don't have time for that.

Everything else I am SOL and need to use a car but honestly, it's not like I'm going to bike to replace some wardrobe, or bike to pick up plants at a nursery. But all else you mentioned is readily available.

www.walkscore.com <=== not sure how good this site is, but my score is a 50/100. My parents' in Sugar Land is 23/100.

I agree - I've found I can pretty much bike anywhere I want in Clear Lake provided I want to spend the time doing so and more and more often I am opting to do so because I can and the access is there.

[descovy]

You will always need a car in the suburbs... seriously the people living here demand it be that way.

Here's what I mean. I live in Cinco SW (the new section) We have land (undeveloped now) set aside for commericial interests. No one, I mean NO ONE wants their house to border along side commericial property.

I have friends who live in Cinco accross from the SuperTarget. It is also an easy bike ride away from the library and LaCenterra. Sounds great right? Everyone there is all pent up about noise, traffic, fear of crime (although there is little or none)

When house-owners only want to live near houses... well all the houses cluster together and retail is left to the fringes.

Me, personally I'm not afraid of the big bad boogyman donut shop... but I have learned in my 2 years in Cinco that my fellow neighbors are *deeply* concerned about "property values" and anything that remotely just might threaten such "property values" is vigorously feared... donut shops, houses too small, convienence stores, the smell of chinese food, etc., etc.,

[chris_ut]

Originally Posted by descovy

Me, personally I'm not afraid of the big bad boogyman donut shop... but I have learned in my 2 years in Cinco that my fellow neighbors are *deeply* concerned about "property values" and anything that remotely just might threaten such "property values" is vigorously feared... donut shops, houses too small, convienence stores, the smell of chinese food, etc., etc.,

Obviously you have never had to sell a house at a twenty thousand dollar loss or you might also be concerned about property values.

[mikehtown]

www.walkscore.com is pretty cool- we're at 77, which is pretty good for the semi-burbs. We're on the Western edge of memorial and love the area. Proximity to Hershey Park, restaurants, and entertainment is a huge plus. My commute is almost always less than 30 minutes to anywhere in Houston. I'm typically working around the Energy Corridor, Westchase, Galleria, Downtown, Greenspoint, or Greenway. Of course, we pay a premium for homes compared to Katy, Sugarland, Cypress, etc., but most of the people here feel it is worth it for the schools and commute.
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

Obviously you have never had to sell a house at a twenty thousand dollar loss or you might also be concerned about property values.

Well, unless it's an adult store, it really has no affect in parts of Houston. That said, people in Briargrove are paying over a million with some pretty "adult" things right on the other side of the run-off...and that is a major family neighborhood.

[westres1]

IA it only pertains to the suburbs. My friend lives behind a Specs and the house next door just sold for over 1.2 million. Many people will sale at a loss out in the newest sections because you must compete against new construction. That is why I think buying new is not a good idea unless you plan on living there long enough for the neighborhood to finish out. which in places like Bridgland, Westheimer lakes,even new Cinco will be a while.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by westres1

IA it only pertains to the suburbs. My friend lives behind a Specs and the house next door just sold for over 1.2 million. Many people will sale at a loss out in the newest sections because you must compete against new construction. That is why I think buying new is not a good idea unless you plan on living there long enough for the neighborhood to finish out. which in places like Bridgland, Westheimer lakes,even new Cinco will be a while.

I agree. I've bought 3 homes in the past 10 years. First was a townhouse in Alaska that appreciated 50% between 1998 and 2003. Made out just fine there because prices were going up fast in 2003 and the house sold in 1 day.

Second was a new spec home in a gated community in Texas bought in 2003 and sold in 2008. After the real estate fees and closing costs we barely broke even. And that doesn't count the $30 grand or so I poured into landscaping and finishing touches like closet shelving. The spec home I bought was nice enough. But most people (myself included) totally underestimate the amount of $$$ you are going to pour into a new house. In my case it was landscaping, blinds, decorative aluminum fencing, closet shelving and drawers, garage shelving, attic flooring, sprinklers, etc, etc. Even though the actual house appreciated about 10% over those 5 years I definitely lost money. I just wasn't underwater.

Third house was a 2-year old house bought in 2008. In this case the sellers had bought the house new in 2006 and probably dumped $40,000 into it (pool, plantation shutters, landscaping, etc.) They were being transferred to Cincinnati and were trying to close on a new house in Ohio and somewhat desperate to sell. So we got it for about $50 grand less than virtually identical new houses offered by builders in the same neighborhood. In fact we looked at two new houses with identical floor plans offered new and didn't like them as much as the one we bought. By buying a 2 year old house with the upgrades and finishing already done I figure we saved $80-90 grand over new construction in the same neighborhood.

One of my closest friends bought new in Cinco a year ago. They have a nice house and all. But they have been living for the past year with construction and mud on their street and will be facing the same thing for at least another year. Sidwalks still aren't complete because construction on the street isn't complete. And it will be 5 years minimum before their street grows into the quiet leafy suburban setting that they want.

This whole obsession with buying new is really a Texas thing. People in older urban areas, like the suburbs around NYC, Chicago, or Boston would laugh at the idea. There a 50 year old colonial in a leafy suburb with mature trees is actually the dream.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by mikehtown

www.walkscore.com is pretty cool- we're at 77, which is pretty good for the semi-burbs. We're on the Western edge of memorial and love the area. Proximity to Hershey Park, restaurants, and entertainment is a huge plus. My commute is almost always less than 30 minutes to anywhere in Houston. I'm typically working around the Energy Corridor, Westchase, Galleria, Downtown, Greenspoint, or Greenway. Of course, we pay a premium for homes compared to Katy, Sugarland, Cypress, etc., but most of the people here feel it is worth it for the schools and commute.
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]

What are your major cross streets? I'm interested in checking out the area.

Do you have kids in the public schools? If so, how do you like them?

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

There a 50 year old colonial in a leafy suburb with mature trees is actually the dream.

Well that pretty much describes the area Mike and I live in. Actually, a lot of Houstonians have that dream too. It's just hard for most to afford.

[AK123]

Do any of the west Memorial subdivisions have sidewalks, or do you still have to walk/bike in the road?